


Anmarie Island

by unknowableroom_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Romance, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-12-22
Updated: 2005-12-22
Packaged: 2019-01-19 10:44:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12408840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unknowableroom_archivist/pseuds/unknowableroom_archivist
Summary: Dumbledore sends new prefects to Anmarie Island, located in the Bermuda Triangle for training and protection against the dark arts during the summer before their 6th year starts. Romance between Draco and Hermione ensues.Written between the releases of GoF and OoTP, GoF canon.





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> Note from ChristyCorr, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Unknowable Room](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Unknowable_Room), a Harry Potter archive active from 2005-2016. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after May 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Unknowable Room collection profile](http://www.archiveofourown.org/collections/unknowableroom).

Hey guys- the two of us wrote this story starting back in 2003. It's not up to date with everything we've learned since then, but its fans enjoyed the story anyway. It's definitely AU now, but we thought we'd add to the archive. This should hold you over as we write our own novel length version of Book Seven- It's in the works and we'll begin posting chapters as soon as we're about 100 pages in.  
Enjoy!

 

 

Hermione Granger sat at the oak desk under the window in her bedroom, her nose buried in a very thick book entitled House Elves: Their Role in Wizarding Households Throughout the Centuries. She twisted a lock of her chestnut hair around a finger as she absentmindedly turned the page. Hogwarts had just ended for the summer the week before and Hermione was already diligently studying the material they would be covering in her 6th year. During the past year, Voldemort had definitely been gaining strength, although he had been quiet for the past two months.

'He's probably just planning something absolutely horrible,' she thought suspiciously. Her thoughts were interrupted, however, by a sharp rapping noise. Tap! Tap! Tap!

"Oh!" Hermione leaped up and opened her window, allowing an unfamiliar owl to soar through it. It perched on the back of her chair and ruffled its feathers importantly before extending its leg to Hermione.

"Thank you," she said, offering it an owl treat, which she kept handy for Hedwig and Pigwidgeon. She noticed the Hogwarts seal on the envelope, and pondered for a moment what it might contain before ripping it open.

Dear Ms. Granger,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected to be a prefect during your next year at Hogwarts. As you know, this position is not to be taken lightly, and a mandatory training course for all prefects will take place at Anmarie Island this summer. Refusal to attend will result in forfeiting the Prefect position. You will be given your prefect badge and list of duties at the end of the summer.

A list of other new prefects is included, along with a list of what will be necessary for your summer on Anmarie Island.

The prefects will be taking a ship to the island, which will leave on Monday at 2:00 from Lussiex Bay.

Congratulations once again, and enjoy your summer.

Yours Sincerely,

Professor M. McGonogall

Deputy Headmistress

Hermione stared in shock at the letter in her hands. Of course, she had expected to be named a prefect. Hadn't everyone expected her to be? This island training course sounded intriguing.

She picked up the sheet of parchment with list of other prefects.

The prefects for next year will be:

Gryffindor

Seamus Finnigan

Hermione Granger

Harry Potter

Hufflepuff

Hannah Abbott

Justin Finch-Fletchley

Ernie MacMillan

Ravenclaw

Stewart Ackerly

Padma Patil

Lisa Turpin

Slytherin

Malcolm Baddock

Draco Malfoy

Blaise Zabini

"Wow!" Hermione breathed. "Harry and Seamus?" Then her eyes noticed Draco's name, and she groaned inwardly. Truth to tell, he wasn't the same insufferable git from their first year, but he still wasn't one of her favorite people. Everyone else seemed okay, though, so she decided to make the best of it.

She instinctively reached for her quill and a spare piece of parchment and scribbled a note to Harry and Ron, who were both at the Weasleys' this summer. She tied the note to the owl's leg asking, "Could you take this to the Burrow please?"

The owl clicked its beak and flew out the window. A moment later Hermione's parents heard her screech in excitement.


	2. 2

The next morning Hermione awoke to Hedwig gently pecking at her ankles. She hastily untied the note as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

'Mione-

It's amazing, isn't it? I can't believe we'll both be prefects next year! Oh, and don't worry about Ron, Fred and George asked him to help them set up Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, so he'll be fine without us this summer. In fact, we'll all be at Diagon Alley this afternoon to see where their store will be, so it'll be the perfect opportunity to get our supplies for the summer. We'll meet you outside of Ollivander's at 1:00, okay?

Harry & Ron 

"Mum! I'm going to Diagon Alley this afternoon!" she called down the stairs, then returned to her room to get ready.

She was outside of Ollivander's at 12:45, looking for the boys. They showed up ten minutes later, eating ice creams and laughing.

"Thanks for getting me one," she said grumpily. The boys saw the twinkle in her eye, though, and gave her a sticky hug.

"I'll see you two later, I've got to find the twins," Ron said, looking around. "Meet you here in three hours?"

"Okay," Harry and Hermione replied.

"Well? Where to first?" Harry asked with a smile.

"Honestly, I haven't even looked at my list yet," she said, giggling at the shocked look on Harry's face. "Let's see here... Well, it looks like we'll be using our course books for next year, and the usual quills and parchment. Ooh! We need a lot of new potion ingredients...and more defense against the dark arts books..." she mused to herself. Harry had already read the list and was waiting for her reaction to the last book on the list. "Wait, what's this rubbish? 'Advanced Divination?' Well, there is no way I'm wasting my money on that."

Harry suddenly burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Hermione glared at him.

"You! You're going to be forced to do divination! It's like forcing Ron to ask a girl for a date!" he laughed heartily for minute, before calming down enough to speak again. "Aw, come on 'Mione! It's not that bad. Just pretend you know what you're talking about."

Hermione grumbled for a few moments, but then brightened considerably and said cheerfully, "I'll just predict the death of Trelawney constantly. If that bat can do it to you, why can't I do it to her?"

"Come on, let's go shopping," Harry said with a grin.

They parted a few hours later, heavily laded with many bags, promising to see each other on Monday. As Hermione fiddled with her purse, trying to fix the broken clasp, she felt a sudden shadow pass over her and glanced up to see Draco Malfoy striding past with a house elf in tow, which was carrying as many bags as Hermione was. She opened her mouth to say something, but then shut it and instead walked in the opposite direction.

Hermione hated the idea of Draco being a prefect alongside herself. In fact, she practically hated Draco himself. Forcing his sneering face from her mind, Hermione focused on Anmarie Island and her excitement welled. She refused to let that prat Draco ruin her time.

"Hurry up!" Draco Malfoy commanded of his panting house elf. "We've still got one more place to go to." After a moment he turned around abruptly and stared icily at his scrawny servant. "I said move your arse," he said in a threatening tone. The elf shook uncontrollably in fear and nodded instantly, his large ears flopping back and forth. After one more stern glare, Draco spun on his heels and headed toward the Three Broomsticks to treat himself to a mug of butterbeer.

Hermione swallowed hard. Her throat was dry. She glanced at her watch and decided that she had time for one glass of butterbeer before heading home for the day. She kept her eye out for Malfoy as she walked toward the Three Broomsticks.

The inside of the store smelled sweet and inviting. Hermione breathed in deeply and the urge for butterbeer overwhelmed her. After setting her array of bags on the wooden floor, she began fishing through her purse for the right amount of galleons when she heard a familiar voice.

"Give me one butterbeer," the voice drawled. 

Hermione didn't want to look up. She knew who that voice belonged to. 

Dropping her galleons back into her bag, Hermione attempted to quickly gather up her things and leave. But in her frantic state she only made things worse by knocking over her bags and having to pick everything up. She felt gray eyes watching her.

The clerk handed a mug of butterbeer to Draco, who took a generous sip before setting it down on a nearby table. He sauntered toward Hermione, sneering the whole time. She tried to ignore his presence.

"So, two of the great trio will be prefects next year," he grinned slyly to himself. "Poor Weasley. Well at least they spared him the embarrassment of forfeiting his position for not being able to afford his supplies."

Hermione shook her head. She wouldn't glorify him with a response.

He circled her, black cloak swishing as he walked. "What? You don't want to talk, Granger?" he tempted her. 

She remained silent as she put her divination book into its bag. Hermione stood, brushed herself off, and began to slowly and carefully gather her things.

Draco stopped circling her like a vulture as she got up. For the first time she looked him in the eye. He gave her his iciest stare. "I can't imagine why they'd make a mudblood a prefect."

Hermione's mouth dropped open. She couldn't believe what he had just uttered. At a loss for words harsh enough to strike Malfoy with, Hermione grabbed her things and stormed out the door, Draco pleasantly smiling to himself as she left. "This is going to be a great summer," he mumbled.

Monday was just one day away. Hermione had spent a lot of time at the Weasleys' with Harry and Ron while forcing herself to think of other things besides Draco Malfoy's cruel remark. Harry and Ron tried to cheer her up. They even offered to beat up the ferret boy, but Hermione figured they should just ignore him and not take anything he said to heart.

"I really wish I was going to Anmarie Island now," Ron clenched a fist. "I'd like to give Malfoy a piece of my mind...and my fist."

Hermione laughed, but then grew serious and grave. She looked at Harry. "You know they're assigning us roommates don't you? No people from the same class can share a room. No coed sharing either. Harry, what if you get stuck with Malfoy as your roommate?" She bit her lip in worry. "That could be a disaster."

Harry shrugged. "I'm not scared of him, 'Mione."

"Yeah, but he could ruin your whole time there. Oh Harry I would be so upset."

"Aw, Harry's not worried about that dumb prat, are you Harry?" Ron nudged Harry's arm.

"Nope. Malfoy's the last of my worries. Passing all the courses is another thing..."

The door to Ron's room flew open. Fred and George strode in. "Hullo Hermione," they said in unison.

"What's that?" Ron motioned to a red bowl Fred was carrying. 

"Mum baked some cookies," George piped up. "She asked us to take some to you."

"What's the catch?" Ron eyed them suspiciously. "What did you do to the cookies?"

Fred put the bowl down and put a hand on his heart. "It's hurts me that you'd think we did something to the cookies, Ron," he said, with mock sadness. 

Ron rolled his eyes. "If you didn't do anything to them, then you eat one."

"We will," George piped up again. Each boy took one cookie and shoved the entire thing into their mouth. "See?" George said, spewing cookie crumbs on the table. 

"All right, all right," Ron gave in. "Tell mum thanks."

Both boys smiled amidst the gooey mess in their mouths and left the room.

Harry leaned across the table to take a cookie when Ron's hand slammed down on his extended arm. "Harry are you crazy?"

"No," Harry said, curious at Ron's question.

Ron sighed and pulled Harry's arm back. "They took the top two cookies, Harry. They obviously did something to the others. Mum never asks Fred or George to bring anything to anyone. It's best we avoid those cookies," he said, pushing them from the middle of the table.

Hermione saw the need for a change of subject. "I can't believe we're leaving tomorrow, Harry," she said with a smile. 

"Me neither," he smiled back. "I wonder what Anmarie Island's like."

Hermione grew even more excited. "I've read up on it. It's named after this witch from the fourteenth century named Anne Marie Drogwell. She discovered it and put as many anti-muggle spells on it as she could so they couldn't find her island. Apparently the area surrounding it is known as the 'Bermuda Triangle' to the muggles. Anyway, Drogwell lived there with her husband and six children when one day she became very ill. No one could offer a cure, so her family began planting all sorts of rare herbs and plants there to possibly cure her sickness. They even brought in magical creatures to live there, thinking they might be able to help Drogwell. But no cure was ever found and once she died her family deserted the island. So now it's filled with amazing plants and animals. Some of the plants have even crossbred to make new plants we'll be studying. It'll be like nothing we've ever experienced before, Harry. If only Malfoy and Snape weren't..." 

A loud explosion cut her short. They all looked at the forgotten cookies, which were now spewing green flames and smoke. 

"Ugh," Harry pinched his nose. "It smells like rotten eggs!"

Hermione coughed violently as the thick green smoke spread through the room.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Ron said as he ran from the putrid room, followed closely by Harry and Hermione.

Fred and George watched in sheer delight as the three ran gagging from the room. "That was too easy," Fred smiled as widely as he could.

"If only they had eaten those cookies," George said, "then this problem would have never happened." He gave in to another fit of laughter.

"They need to learn to trust us," Fred said, watching the green smoke thin out.


	3. 3

"Have fun and be careful!" Mrs. Weasley called as the Muggle subway train bringing Hermione and Harry to Lussiex Bay departed. The pair grinned and waved back furiously. They had been told to choose their favorite mode of transportation, magical or non, to get to the ship. Being raised by Muggles, Hermione and Harry obviously knew the subways quite well, and considering Harry's strong dislike of Floo powder, it seemed a reasonable choice.

"Well, I'm going to get in a bit of light reading," Hermione said importantly, pulling an absolutely enormous book out of her trunk. Harry stifled a snicker at a glare from Hermione, and pulled out his list of their fellow Prefects.

Who could I be paired with? he thought. 'No Gryffindors, no girls, so that leaves Malcolm, Malfoy, Justin, Ernie, and Stewart. hmmm.....' Truthfully, Harry had absolutely no idea who Stewart was, as he had no classes with the Ravenclaws. Justin and Ernie were all right though, and Malcolm and Malfoy were... Slytherins. 

Hermione looked up at Harry and saw he had fallen asleep while pondering the list. She personally didn't care who her roommate would be. She planned on staying on as friendly of terms as possible with all the other Prefects, with 'as possible' being the key words. Malfoy was pretty close to impossible.

An hour later, Hermione shook Harry awake. "Hey! We're getting off in five minutes. Grab you stuff!"

When they arrived at Lussiex Bay, they blinked at how the bright sunlight reflected off the water and gazed at what they instantly knew was their ship. For one, it was the exact same color of the Hogwarts Express. There also happened to be a man in long black robes checking off names on a list. As they got closer, the features of the man came into sharper focus...Tall, with longish black hair as greasy as his face, which had a scowl etched on it.

"Professor Snape?! What are you doing here?" Harry gasped.

"Ahh...Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger... I was thinking we'd be leaving without you... An idle hope I see," Snape said softly, gesturing towards a large clock that showed they had ten minutes before the ship departed. "As for what I'm doing here, didn't you realize a teacher would be accompanying you?" He paused, then added, "Well, carry on then! Potter, you're in room 12, Granger, room 8."

Reluctantly checking their names off of his list, he sent a sneer in their direction before turning on his heel and stalking off briskly. His students followed at a safe distance.

Peeking into Hermione's room, they gasped. It seemed that every student had as much space as there was on the entire second story of the Dursley home. There was a bathroom, large closet, queen sized bed, and a common room that had a door leading to a neighboring student's room. They dropped off their trunks and climbed the stairs to the top deck, where they joined Seamus.

"Isn't this amazing?" he asked with wide, excited eyes. 

Hermione smiled pleasantly. "It sure is," she nodded. 

"What do you suppose the island'll be like?" he asked.

Hermione's expression brightened. "Well, I've read up on it," she began. "You see, it's named after..."

Seamus paid close attention to her historical tale as Harry rolled his eyes and wandered off. He had no desire to hear the story again and instead wanted to explore the ship. 

As Harry entered the boiler room, complete with a lush buffet table, he spotted Malfoy reading a thick book in the corner. Without Crabbe or Goyle he seemed different. He was more defenseless, quieter. Harry smiled gingerly to himself as he realized the prat had no friends on the ship. He probably won't be such an annoyance now, Harry thought, entering the buffet line to grab a sliver of moist carrot cake.

He no sooner bit into the triangular pastry than an announcement blared over the intercom. "All Hogwarts students please report to your main common room for a brief meeting."

Shoving the rest of the cake into his mouth, Harry headed toward the very center of the ship. He could feel someone watching him as we went. He knew someone was following him. Whipping his entire body around to face his stalker, Harry ran smack dab into Draco Malfoy, who wore an expression of absolute disgust.

"Don't touch me, Potter," he warned, "or you'll regret it."

Harry swallowed his cake dryly. "Maybe if you weren't following me so closely, Malfoy, I wouldn't have touched the precious robes that your daddy bought you."

Silence suffocated them after Harry's comment. No one was around. They were alone.

Taking advantage of this, Draco grabbed Harry's shoulders and shoved him against the deep blue wall. He easily overpowered the boy who lived. Draco was bigger than him and more willing to do harm. His grip tightened on Harry's shoulders.

"I suggest," he said in a threatening tone, "that you avoid me this summer unless you want to get injured, Potter. I am not in the mood for your childish games. So heed my warning: keep out of my way."

Harry never broke his eye contact. His green eyes burned fiercely at Malfoy's gray.

Draco loosened his grip, his white knuckles now flooding with color. He straightened up his robes, gave Harry one more menacing glance, and left swiftly for the common room.

Snape stood up in front of his students, and the room quickly fell silent. "Welcome aboard the <i>Simolean</i>. As you may have noticed, this ship hosts not only yourselves but other witches and wizards on holiday, and I expect you all to behave in a manner that is in no way degrading to Hogwarts," Snape paused and looked disdainfully around the room. "We will be on the ship for three days, arriving at Anmarie Island on Thursday. Until then, I suggest you," he paused to scowl, "enjoy yourselves. When we get to the island, you will meet your other two professors. We will give you extensive training in DADA, with it's many branches." Here he paused again, and continued in a disapproving voice, "Every Friday night there will be a social event, designed to promote friendliness among Prefects. There will also be a few contests, with rewards such as an evening out."

The girls looked around the room and giggled. By social event, surely Snape meant a dance of some kind.

"Further information will be given out on Thursday, including cabin assignments. I suggest you finish eating and then be careful to stay out of my face for the next few days, as I tend to become irritable when on the water for too long."

The students spent the rest of the day introducing themselves and getting to know each other. It turned out that Stewart shared Harry's fondness for Quidditch, and Hermione felt a bit lost without her best friend.

Unable to sleep that night, she decided to go for a midnight walk, and went to the top deck to watch the water. As she breathed in the fresh sea air and gazed out into the ocean, a boy in the shadows watched her. He noticed the way the moonlight glinted off her soft auburn curls and how when she tilted her head back the light on her throat made her look quite vulnerable. 

She's not that ugly, he thought. A little work here or there would fix her right up.

Hermione leaned against the guardrails. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" she said to no one in particular. The boy with his face in the shadows about 4 feet away nodded, unable to think of a decent insult to throw at her.

Hermione glanced at him curiously, and when a moment later the moon came from behind a wisp of cloud, she could see the boy next to her.

It was Malfoy.

"Oh it's you," she said distastefully, stepping away from the blonde boy.

"Don't sound so pleased, Granger, someone might think you fancy me," he shot back with a sneer.

"Oh! You!" she walked quickly away, feeling the sudden urge to be as far away from him as possible.

The next morning at breakfast, Hermione found herself studying Malfoy. He had changed so much since there first year. Quidditch training combined with puberty had filed him out to be a little over 6'0 and nicely built. He still had the slate gray eyes that concealed any emotion he might have, and his usual sneer was ever present, but overall he was improved since his younger days.

He's gotten quite attractive too. When did that happen? she mused to herself, then stopped in shock. Malfoy? Attractive? Maybe she should visit the ship mediwizard; she obviously was having a temporary bout of insanity. But, in reality, she was right. He was no longer sickly pale but nicely tanned, and he had given up using gel in his hair. The way the wind tousled it made it look as though he hadn't touched it in days, but the look suited him. As she watched, his face suddenly lit up in the first true smile she had seen, and he was soon chortling heartily. The transformation was amazing. His eyes lit up delightedly, and he seemed to not have a care in the world.

She followed the direction of his gaze, and found herself clamping a hand over her mouth to stifle her own laughter.

Apparently Snape had discovered that his thick black robes and the hot sun didn't exactly go well together, and he had traded in his normal attire for muggle wear: a pair of ill-fitting jeans and a thin cotton shirt. That was the least of it, however. On every inch of exposed skin he had not quite rubbed in a thick layer of sunscreen, and as he now looked very much like a vampire in the daylight, it was too much for any student to repress.

At a scathing glare from Snape, the 12 students suddenly became very interested in the water, sky, food, anything but Snape.


	4. 4

Hermione found it just as difficult to sleep the next night. She tossed and turned restlessly, wishing with all her might that the boat would speed up. She was unbelievably anxious for Anmarie Island. I wonder if Harry's awake, she wondered.

Giving up her will to sleep, Hermione rolled out of bed and shuffled down the corridor outside her room. The ship's silence was deafening. Every creak of the wood beneath her feet sounded like an explosion. She found herself in front of room number 11. She couldn't recall whether Harry was in 11 or 12. Thinking it over for just a moment, she decided to try 11. As she reached for the knob, it turned violently on its own and the door flew open.

Hermione froze, every muscle in her body tense, her right arm still extended to grab the handle. A tall shirtless boy emerged from the darkness. "What is it with you?" he frowned nastily. "You want to see me every night? Am I really that charming?"

Draco stared at her, waiting for a response. She yanked her arm back and crossed both of them over her chest. "For your information, I was looking for Harry's room. I thought this was his," she said, giving him a cold stare.

His lips curled into a sinister smirk. "Looking for Potter at midnight? Hmm, I wonder why."

"Get your mind out of the gutter and grow up," Hermione demanded. "I couldn't sleep and I wanted to talk to someone. Why am I even telling you? I don't owe you an explanation." Then it dawned on her. "Why are <i>you </i>out of bed?"

Malfoy quietly closed the door behind him and leaned over to be eye level with Hermione. "I don't owe you an explanation, now do I?" he whispered to her stern face.

Hermione glanced at Malfoy's chest once he stood upright again. It was indeed muscular and tan, but also littered with scars. Her expression softened and Malfoy noticed. 

"What happened to your..." she began, but was cut off by an icy voice behind her.

"Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Granger," Snape walked toward them. "Is there a reason why the two of you are up at this time of the night together?" He focused his glare on Hermione.

She swallowed hard, browsing for a good excuse, but eventually settled on, "I-I couldn't sleep, sir."

"Ms. Granger, don't make me deduct points from Gryffindor already. You don't want your class to start the year off with negative points, do you?" he warned.

Hermione gently shook her head.

"Go back to your room," he commanded.

Hermione glanced at Malfoy and his scars one more time before leaving. He wore a totally blank expression and stared off into nothing.

Once they heard her door click, Snape narrowed his gaze at the boy in front of him. "I'm sure you have a good reason for being up at this hour," Snape said to Draco, "but go back to bed."

Draco nodded solemnly and went back into his dark room.

"Maybe they're from quidditch," Harry suggested the next morning at breakfast. 

Hermione shook her head and swallowed a jam-covered piece of toast. "Do you have scars like that from quidditch?" she asked.

Harry shrugged. "No, but you know Malfoy. He's more violent than me. Why do you even care, 'Mione?"

"I don't," she insisted. "I'm just curious."

There was a silence and Harry figured the conversation about Malfoy was finally over. But Hermione couldn't let it go.

"They looked like they were from magic, Harry," she said, salting her deviled egg. 

He rolled his eyes. "Maybe he got into a fight with a better wizard. Who cares?"

She ignored him. "I think they could be from that bastard of a father he has."

Harry wanted to glue her lips shut. Draco Malfoy was not a topic he fancied. "Don't tell me you think Malfoy is a sad little abused boy, Hermione. If you really believe that, then there is something wrong with you. All he ever does is talk about his rich and powerful father, so I doubt Lucius has ever harmed him."

Hermione snuck a glance over Harry's shoulder at Malfoy, who was quietly reading a red-covered book and chewing on a blueberry muffin. I'm going to find out how he got those scars, she thought. 

Wednesday went by surprisingly quickly and Hermione actually got a good night's sleep that night. She, Harry, and Seamus spent the day playing shuffleboard (Seamus won every game), practicing spells in their rooms, and cheering on The Weird Sisters, the boat's entertainment. Hermione hadn't had such fun in ages. She never even saw Malfoy to ruin her day.

After the band's last song, all the Hogwarts students had to get to bed in preparation for the next day's excitement. Anmarie Island would no longer be a fantasy tomorrow. Every student went to bed with wild ideas of what it would look like and what he or she would be doing. Some dreaded who their roommates would be, some feared the difficulty of the lessons, and some anticipated Friday's social event that Snape had referred to more than anything. 

Hermione sunk into her soft mattress and drifted away, dreaming of what would await her the next morning.

Harry lay rigid in bed, nervous about the island. He didn't sleep for a long while.

Draco sat in a chair in his room, not the least bit tired. The island had scarcely crossed his mind amidst his jungle of thoughts. He tried to relax, knowing that he would be away from home for a while.

A woman's friendly voice awoke every student as the sun rose. "Good morning Hogwarts Prefects, and welcome to Anmarie Island."


	5. 5

"Good morning Hogwarts students and welcome to Anmarie Island," a female voice said brightly, echoing magically through the rooms. "Please report to the top deck with all of your luggage in 15 minutes."

The students made their way to the top deck, some bright-eyed and bushy-tailed with excitement (Hermione), and others dragging one foot after another, fighting off sleep (Seamus).

Once all 12 students were present, Snape beckoned them to follow him down a ramp, which led to a small dock. The students dropped their trunks and, rubbing their aching arms, looked up for their first view of the island that would be their home for the summer.

They were not disappointed. There was a simultaneous sharp intake of breath from every person. Anmarie Island was absolutely stunning. There was a lush tropical forest, with a carpet of many exotic flowers, from which they could hear strange birdcalls. To their left was a sheltered cove with vivid turquoise water. They could see a string of huts lining the cove, with two larger buildings in the distance. 

"You can all close your jaws now," Snape snapped at them. "Follow me so we can assign cabins."

He led them to a small clearing behind the huts, where a wooden platform with picnic tables was set up. He pulled out his wand and transfigured two small rocks into boxes, into which he dropped bits of parchment with each student's name: girls in one, boys in the other.

"I am simply going to draw two names out of the box at a time. Those two students will share a hut for the summer. If I draw two students from the same house, I will replace them and draw again. Is that clear?" he said dryly, smirking at the students. They were gazing apprehensively at the boxes that were deciding their fate. Hermione was about to make a comment about it being like their sorting ceremony from their first year, but was interrupted by the beginning of the pairings. 

Snape drew two names from the boys' box. "Stewart Ackerly and Malcolm Baddock, cabin one." He drew two more. "Seamus Finnigan and Ernie MacMillan, cabin two." Harry looked anxiously around as he realized the only other boys left were Justin and Malfoy. "Harry Potter and...Justin Finch-Fletchley, cabin three." Harry breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Justin. "Mr. Malfoy, I trust you have no problem having a cabin to yourself?" Snape asked.

"Not at all professor, I'll be fine."

"Good. You'll be in cabin four then," Snape said, smiling at his favorite student. " And now for the girls...Padma Patil and Hannah Abbott you'll be in cabin five." The two girls smiled pleasantly at one another. "Blaise Zabini and Lisa Turpin, cabin six." Blaise tossed her head and didn't acknowledge Lisa's small wave. 

Hermione looked around, then asked, "Professor, does that mean I also have my own cabin?"

Snape turned to look at her and after a moment replied coldly, "I suppose...cabin seven. If everyone will drop off their things, we will meet back here in precisely 35 minutes where you will meet your other teachers and have a brief tour of the island. Do not be late." Snape walked briskly away to his own cabin, floating his belongings ahead of him with his wand.

The students gathered their things and went their separate ways, chattering animatedly. Hermione, watching Snape, thought he had the right idea and pulled out her wand, which she pointed at her trunk. "Now what's that spell again?" she pondered aloud and was startled when a voice just behind her said sharply, "Levitatus." Her trunk rose in the air.

She whipped around and found herself face to face with Malfoy. She looked into his gray eyes for a moment, but they were devoid of emotion. He merely stared back. Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze, she said, "Th-thank you, Malfoy," the words sounding foreign to her ears. 

He merely looked at her for a moment longer before breaking eye contact and walking to his own cabin where he slammed the door shut.

Confused, Hermione walked to her cabin and was pleased with what she found. Every cabin was rustic looking with decorative palm fronds on the roof and a large covered porch with a swinging bench. Inside were a small bathroom and two decent sized bedrooms that each contained a twin sized bed, a dresser, a closet, and a desk. There was one other room with a large bookshelf, a few extremely comfortable-looking chairs, and a small couch, which surrounded a low table. Hermione magically unpacked her trunk, choosing the bedroom with a bay window facing the cove. She sat on the window seat for a moment, gazing out contentedly before getting up. She magicked some pale blue curtains that matched her bedspread onto the window and then walked back outside towards the clearing.

After a few minutes of waiting, the students were joined by Professor Snape and two other adults. "Prefects, these are your new professors, Madame Liza Bargs and Professor Seedly. They will be joining me in furthering your DADA education." He paused, giving the students a moment to study the new additions.

Madame Bargs caught the eyes of the boys immediately. She was young, probably in her early twenties, with flowing blonde hair and richly tanned skin. She smiled warmly at the students, but Hermione could see past the toothy grin. It won't be long until she's deducting points and losing what little patience she has, she thought.

Professor Seedly gained considerably less adoration than Bargs, but maintained his friendly smile. He looked like a man in his mid-thirties. He had wavy brown hair with wisps of gray strands and wore small, wire-framed glasses that gave him a distinguished look. Compared to Snape, Seedly had a much softer, easier going air about him. Hermione would have looked forward to his teaching if he weren't the divination instructor. 

Snape addressed Bargs in a surprisingly gentle tone, asking, "Would you like to say anything to your new students, Madame Bargs?"

Her smile faded instantly and she grew serious. "Yes, Professor Snape, I would," she nodded, speaking with a rich Australian accent. "Good morning everyone. I am Liza Bargs and I will be your curses and charms instructor for this summer's course. Don't assume that since it's summer I'm going to go easy on you. This session is meant to be work, not a vacation. We will be dealing with very serious, very dangerous spells that could one day save your lives. I want you to all pay close attention and strictly obey every bit of instruction I give. I do want you to have fun here, but I also want you to leave Anmarie Island with clear, reliable ways to defend yourselves against the dark arts. With that in mind, I look forward to working with each of you and I hope you will enjoy our time together." Her smile lit her face back up after her speech and she nodded at Snape to signal that she was finished.

Snape turned his gaze to Professor Seedly. "And," he motioned coldly to the man on his right, "Professor Seedly, would <i>you </i>like to say anything to the students?"

"Why, sure," said the pleasant American. "Hi everyone! I'm Marvin Seedly and I will be your divination instructor this summer. I know, I know, divination is boring and useless, right? Wrong! It can come in very helpful when dealing with the dark arts and you'll see how through this course. I think you will all be surprised and you might actually find divination fun. Well, I look forward to spending the summer with everyone and I can't wait to start instructing all of you." He clapped his hands together to signify the end of his speech and all the students except Hermione, who still loathed divination, began whispering excitedly to one another.

"Hush!" Snape commanded in a monstrous tone. The clamor of voices immediately died down and every eye focused on him. "It absolutely thrills me to know you are all childishly exuberant about your future instructors," he grumbled sarcastically, "but the tour of the island will be postponed slightly. I am feeling ill, so in one hour we will travel the island. Until then I suggest you get acquainted with your fellow students and settle into your rooms." With that he turned around, stumbling slightly as he walked toward his room.

Harry nudged Hermione and with a smile on his face said, "I don't think Snape likes traveling on water too much." Hermione stifled a laugh and walked with her friend toward his cabin.


	6. 6

"Well obviously this end of the island has sandy beaches and a cove," Seedly told the group of students with a slight chuckle. "But in a few minutes we're going to give you a detailed tour of the entire island, pointing out dangerous areas and places that might capture your interest. I'll give you five minutes to change into sturdier shoes."

The students hurried to change, and Hermione grabbed a small notebook as an afterthought. Harry noticed it and snickered, thinking 'Hermione will never change.'

"All right! Follow me, and try to keep quiet if possible so we don't disturb anything," Seedly said, heading off into the trees behind the cabins. The trees were of all different heights and varieties, many strangely colored. A particular deep purple one caught Harry's eye. 

"Whoa," he mumbled, staring wide-eyed at the plant. It was so beautiful. Its stalk was thick and lime green, speckled with red thorns. The purple petals resembled feathers and flapped hypnotically in the day's thin breeze. Harry could faintly hear people talking in the background and decided to catch up, only to realize that his whole body was frozen. He became conscious of only his heart beating and his slow, steady breathing as the mysterious plant continued to bob up and down, beckoning to him. He remained motionless as it slowly inched its way toward him.

As Seedly talked to the students about a rare and medically beneficial slug, Hermione realized that her companion was gone. She had been so busy taking notes that she hadn't noticed he had left her. As she looked around, almost frantically, others began to realize the boy who lived was missing in action. Draco even glanced around a few times, though not nearly as concerned as the others.

"Professor Seedly?" Hermione said, a quiver in her voice. "Have you seen where Harry's gone?"

Both Seedly and Snape painted quizzical expressions on their faces and then hurriedly began to retrace the group's steps. They rounded the corner the group had just passed to find Harry still in his trance. Seedly noticed immediately what had happened. "Damn throceans," he grumbled, approaching the gorgeous flower. He took a deep breath and then began spewing insults at the nearly 6 ft. tall plant.

The students stared in shock at their new instructor as he piled profanities upon the purple nightmare. It finally cowered, grew limp, and sulked away from its prey. 

Harry finally blinked his dilated eyes and shook his head. He stumbled backward and was caught by a very ill tempered Snape, who shoved him upright violently. 

"What was that thing?" Hannah asked.

Seedly turned to face his surprised students. "That," he began, "is one of the many crossbred plants on this island. It is only native here and can be very, very deadly. Stay away from them. They hypnotize their prey, approach them, and then shoot poisonous red thorns out of their stems. Harry here is quite lucky that the throcean didn't kill him. The only way to make them leave is to yell insults at them. Sorry you all had to hear that." He patted the unsteady Harry on the back, smiled faintly, and then said, "Let's move on."

Hermione walked over to her dizzy friend. "Are you all right?" she asked, steadying him some more.

Harry nodded reassuringly, unable to speak just yet.

Draco brushed past the two swiftly, mumbling, "Smart move Potter," as he went.

Hermione shook her head, watching the blonde boy go. "Just ignore him, Harry," she said with a sigh.

A heavy hand grabbed Harry's shoulder and spun him around. Hermione turned around too, but Snape motioned for her to leave. "Mr. Potter," he said in a raspy whisper, "your celebrity stature won't save you from nature. You are well-advised to stay with the group because if I catch you wandering off one more time you'll spend this summer doing double potions homework."

Harry nodded to the angry man, still dazed and confused, and then caught up with the rest of the students. 

They walked for a while until they reached an even thicker section of forest. Seedly pointed out a bird with vivid pink plumage "You might want to watch out for this guy. He's called a Fwooper, native to Africa, and though his song is very pretty, it will eventually drive you to insanity. Mme. Bargs will be teaching you the silencing charm in case you run into anymore Fwoopers."

Some of the students looked suspiciously at the pretty bird before hurrying on, and Hermione frantically scribbled down everything that came out of her teacher's mouth.

They trudged on, gradually being suffocated by more and more wildlife. Seedly finally stopped the group in a small clearing surrounded by amazing plants and even some small creatures. Gnomes in particular were running rampant, playing some sort of game around a lone rock. This, by far, was the thickest and most diverse jungle on the island.

Seedly made note of some of the innocent creatures scampering around. He pointed out some blue sparkly vines used in making memory-inducing potions as well as some foul-smelling orange leaves that many found helpful in making quick stink bombs. Good thing Fred and George aren't here, Harry and Hermione both thought. "As you can tell, there aren't many dangerous things in this section of the island," Seedly admitted. "But there is one thing I want you to look out for." He drew back a large wall of palm fronds to reveal...a dirty marsh. Several of the students groaned, expecting some incredible sight.

Stewart sighed loudly. "There's nothing in their but filthy water and wood."

Seedly turned and smiled at Stewart. "You," he grinned wider, "are quite wrong."

Hermione suddenly realized what she was staring at. They weren't dead woodpiles. They were...

"Dugbogs," drawled an icy voice at the back of the pack of students.

Seedly put a hand to his ear. "Can whoever just said that please repeat it?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "They're dugbogs," he said a little louder.

Snape nodded proudly.

"Excellent!" Seedly commented. "Any idea what they do?"

Hermione perked up again. She was about to raise her hand when Draco began to speak once more.

"They look like pieces of dead wood, but really have paws and razor sharp teeth. They eat other small creatures, especially mandrakes, but also like to attack the ankles of humans," Draco finished monotonously. 

At his conclusion, the rest of the students inched closer to the palm fronds and looked into the marsh, now chatting excitedly with their friends. Draco stood by himself, arms crossed, waiting for the tour to continue. Having seen enough of the ugly creatures, Hermione walked away from her classmates and back onto the trail they had been following. Seedly began to tell the class some personal experience he once had with a dugbog as Hermione neared Draco.

He eyed her steadily as she came toward him. She finally looked up and met his sight for a moment before he turned to look another way. Stupid mudblood, he thought half-heartedly.

Seedly continued his story amidst laughter as the deadlocked silence between Hermione and Draco continued. Hermione finally looked at the tall boy next to her and asked as politely as she could, "Where did you learn all that stuff about the dugbogs?"

Draco looked at her and responded, "Lucius. It seems all I ever do with him is train and learn invaluable information."

Hermione frowned. Lucius? Since when did Malfoy call his father by his first name?

"What?" Draco asked suspiciously. "Why are you frowning?"

Hermione thought again of the painful scars she had seen on Malfoy's chest. "Nothing," she lied. "I'm just anxious to get back to the cabins."

Draco's gaze grew slightly icier, but then softened as he looked away. 

The group pressed on, and soon reached a change in terrain. The ground became hillier, and was covered in large boulders. The coastline was harsh and rocky, and the whole place looked foreboding. Here they stopped, and Seedly turned to the students and warned, "This area is pretty dangerous, and we're not positive exactly what's in it. For your own safety, I'm going to forbid any person to enter it except in extreme cases, and then in groups of at least two or three. Disobeying of this rule will result in you being sent home immediately."

"I would like to add that the offending student will also be spending a month in detention with me upon return to Hogwarts," Snape said with a nasty smile.

On their way back to their cabins Hermione touched her parched throat. "I am so thirsty," she whined to Harry, who could relate. "I'd love a butterbeer right about now."

"Hey, maybe there's a Three Broomsticks on the island," he suggested desperately.

Hermione cast him a stop-being-so-stupid look.

He smiled. "You never know. They're springing up all over the place. They even put one in Diagon Alley."

"I know," Hermione noted, "I went there after we were done shopping for the island." Her expression grew grave. "I ran into Malfoy while I was there. He called me the 'm' word."

Harry threw his left arm around his friend's shoulders. "Aw, don't sweat it," he comforted. "We've been through this. Malfoy's opinions mean nothing."

Hermione smiled at this comment as they finally reached their huts. 

They were told that classes would begin the next day, but they could spend the rest of the day as they pleased. After gulping down a large amount of spiced pumpkin juice, Hermione wandered back into the forest behind her cabin, intrigued by a tree she had passed earlier. It was quite large, with smooth green bark, and surrounding area was clear of any plants. What had interested her, however, were the flashing red lights in the branches. She had been reminded of Muggle Christmas lights, but that seemed impossible here. She approached the tree, and circled it slowly, looking upwards. She sank down against the tree, resting for a few minutes.

She heard a small noise, and kept very still, straining to hear. Without warning, a strange creature dropped from the branches to the ground in front of her, and she stifled a scream. The animal seemed to be a cross between a monkey and a frog, with smooth and hairless skin the same mottled green as the tree it dwelled in. It had long, supple arms and legs ending in webbed hands and feet. She studied its particularly odd face, which had short horns, and a wide mouth that seemed to be grinning. A mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, she noted. Most interestingly was the large pustule on its head, which was flashing scarlet, though much slower than the lights in the tree.

She continued to sit still as the creature sniffed at her, then tentatively reached out and touched her leg. Its forehead stopped flashing, and it climbed into her lap. It peered up at her and began chittering wildly. She smiled, and carefully reached out to touch it, wary of the many teeth.

"You're a clabbert," she said softly. "I've read about you... You seem pretty friendly."

The clabbert looked at her intently while she spoke, and then chittered back excitedly for a while before suddenly jumping back onto the tree, blending in instantly. A moment later she heard a wild chittering above her, and guessed the clabbert was telling its friends about her. She smiled, then stood up and headed back to her cabin, where she lay down for a nap.

She spent the rest of the day mingling, going over her notes, and wandering around the safest parts of the island. She also couldn't help but tease Harry a little about his incident with the throcean.

Hermione was filled with anticipation that night. Unlike most of the other students, she was more excited about starting her classes than the social event they would be having. She closed her eyes and eventually fell asleep to the soothing sounds of the jungle outside.


End file.
